Kyle brings home silver from championships

RISING Wynyard basketball star Kyle Clark will return home today with a silver medal around his neck after Australia was edged out by the USA, 99-92 in the final of the FIBA Under-17 World Championships in Dubai.

Kyle Clark

Played in the early hours yesterday morning (Australian time), the Goanna’s were more than competitive against the two-time defending champions, and held a 17-7 lead in the early going.

The USA team hit back and established a healthy margin on several occasions, only for Kyle and his teammates to battle back to 97-91 in the final minute.

Kyle had a three-point attempt with 11 seconds remaining that could have cut the margin back to three points, but his shot was blocked, allowing the USA to seal the game from the free-throw line.

The 17-year-old finished the final with four points on 2-of-5 shooting in 19 minutes of court time to go along with two rebounds and two steals.

The Australian’s path to the final was far from smooth, coming back from 22 points down to miraculously defeat Spain in overtime in the semi-final.

Two of Kyle’s teammates, Isaac Humphries and Dejan Vasiljevic, were named in the all-tournament team after starring for the Goanna’s throughout the tournament.

Kyle will have little time to rest in the aftermath of the championships, suiting back up for the North-West Thunder on Friday night in its SEABL south conference semi-final at Mount Gambier.